Posts Tagged ‘Fast and Furious’

If it turns out that Chris Christie lied yesterday during his nearly two-hour press conference, he’s screwed. I hope he was honest, (and I’m guessing he was) we’ll find out if he wasn’t. You can’t scandalously cause a major traffic jam in the center of the mainstream media’s universe and expect the story to die anytime soon.

In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal says, “compared to using the IRS against political opponents during an election campaign, closing traffic lanes for four days is jaywalking.” True, and the media should be admonished for its lethargy in hunting down the truth when it comes to Obama’s cover-ups, but both acts would demonstrate an inability to be trusted with power. Should the investigation uncover that Christie had even the slightest inkling that this “traffic study” was a petty political play, I don’t want him in the White House.

Christie’s performance yesterday however, provided a great service to the American people that cannot be undone—no matter the eventual outcome of this scandal. He reminded us all what leadership is supposed to look like: something goes wrong, a leader acknowledges it, determines who is responsible, and fires the person before any further harm can be done to the people the leader serves.

Christie’s immediate candor and what appears to be heartfelt embarrassment was completely opposite from Obama’s response to numerous scandals: Fast & Furious, Benghazi, the IRS, the Obamacare rollout…I’m sure I’m missing at least one more, but you get the picture. Christie offered the perfect foil to Obama.

Whether Christie is honest or not, Americans clearly saw that such a leader could exist, such a leader is what our country deserves, such a leader Obama is not. So, thank you Governor Christie, for that.

Could it be true? Has Obama fallen victim to the second term curse? That remains to be seen, but the outlook is rather promising… for us. Through his first term right up until two weeks ago the president seemed untouchable. Yet now, Jay Carney and Obama’s spin team must wage a daily game of whack-a-mole, trying to squash one scandal only to have another pop up.

September 11, 2012 – four Americans were killed in a terrorist attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. The Americans called for help, radioed in their position, and hoped for backup—it never came. Somewhere between Ambassador Chris Stevens’ harrowing call that they were under attack and his death and that of three other Americans, a special operations rescue team was called off; exactly who made that call, we still don’t know. In the immediate aftermath, the State Department and the White House claimed it wasn’t a terrorist attack, but rather a demonstration in response to an anti-Islam video. Talking points were scrubbed and Americans were intentionally misled in a purely political play designed to secure Obama’s re-election.

Next, we have officials at the IRS targeting conservative groups as far back as 2009. A government agency attacking others on a basis of political belief is reprehensible and should not be tolerated at any level; especially when that agency is the universally despised IRS. This was not just an isolated, obscure event at the bureau in Cincinnati; it now appears to be by design with national implications—and, let’s not forget that these are the guys responsible for enforcing Obamacare. Facts are still coming out, but it’s clear that the Obama administration knew about this in April, if not before. Was he hoping this would pass just as the others? Or did they sit on this information and then release it this week in an attempt to drown out the Benghazi coverage? How calculating are they?

Lastly, we have the most recent scandal wherein the Department of Justice ‘secretly’ pulled phone records of Associated Press reporters. The AP found this out on Friday and went public on Monday, calling it “a massive and unprecedented intrusion”. The DOJ says they were investigating the source of a national security leak in 2012, and had to look into reporters and their information gathering. This may be the most damning episode in ‘Down Goes The Administration’. The AP and other media outlets are furious. Obama’s presidency will not survive if the love affair between him and the press goes sour.

Am I surprised? No. From the Fast and Furious operation that left Brian Terry, a border patrol agent dead; to Solyndra, where $535 million in taxpayer went straight to Obama’s friends and supporters in a textbook case of crony corruption, this Administration has never played by the rules, respected the truth, or honored its promises of transparency. Of course, nothing has changed from the first term to the second term. Why would it? He’s gotten away with this behavior for over four years.

I’m not sure if any of these scandals will end up sticking to the Teflon President. Keep in mind, that all of the current scandals happened during Obama’s FIRST term and I’ve gotta say, I’m afraid to find out what’s in store for his encore.

Yesterday, surrounded by children, Obama signed 23 executive orders that amounted to very little. He also urged Congress to pass legislation banning “assault weapons,” or guns that look kind of scary, and impose a 10-round limit for magazines. There is little chance such legislation could pass the Democrat-controlled Senate, let alone the GOP-led House.

But Obama doesn’t care, because the real purpose of yesterday’s event was to show, through photo-op, that if you aren’t in favor of the president’s assault on the 2nd Amendment, you must want more innocent children to die. The president even read portions of the letters these kids sent to him, urging stricter gun control so that “everybody [can] be happy and safe.” So, the President of the United States is now taking legislative advice from children. (Next thing you know, Obamacare will cover imaginary friends—but I digress.)

The gall on display at this dog and pony show was astounding. With a straight face, Obama declared, “Congress needs to help, rather than hinder, law enforcement as it does its job. We should get tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning around and selling them to criminals. And we should severely punish anybody who helps them do this.” Which is why today I am firing Eric Holder and urging a thorough investigation of Operation Fast and furious—Ok, so he didn’t say that last part…but it does fit doesn’t it?

I couldn’t help but think about Brian Terry’s mother as Obama made this statement. Her son, a U.S. Border Patrol agent, and hundreds of innocent Mexicans were murdered with weapons the United States Justice Department knowingly provided to dangerous drug cartels. More than 2000 guns from the operation are missing, people have died, and nobody has been punished or held accountable. Now Obama is going to go after law-abiding, responsible gun owners. It’s absurd.

In the end, this may have very little to do with guns. Obama is using the Newtown-inspired gun control debate to highlight congress’ “inability to act.” He chastises them for failing to confirm an ATF director (although he hasn’t put effort into nominating viable candidates and promoting their confirmation) and he urges gun legislation he knows can’t pass either chamber. To the American people, Congress appears even more immobile.

This allows Obama to claim, “Congress, who won’t even protect the children, refuses to act on X, so I will, for the good of the country.” Get ready for more executive orders, more czars, and more power grabs over the next four years. I guess our founders truly did understand what tyranny could look like 200+ years into the future.

Yesterday, Congressman Paul Gosar announced that he is running in the new “River District,” CD 4, which is comprised of Yavapai and Mohave counties and parts of Pinal and Yuma counties. This move sets up a showdown with Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu (and potentially other candidates).

Gosar has the advantage of incumbency and having represented nearly a third of the district, in particular Yavapai County, the heart of the old District 1.

On the other hand, Babeu, as Sheriff, only represents a small portion of the new CD 4.

Babeu’s ambition for higher office has been obvious since right after he got elected to Sheriff of Pinal County in 2008. He quickly set out to establish a reputation of being tough on the border and sought the national spotlight – which wasn’t difficult given his good looks and how much more articulate he is than another anti-immigration Sheriff from Arizona.

However, at the end of the day, Gosar has the upper hand in a primary with Sheriff Babeu. Despite some of the chatter about Gosar’s staff, he has some very solid folks on board and will have top-notch political advice for 2012.

(For the record, Gosar is not a client of mine or my firm)

Additionally, Gosar has taken the lead in holding the Obama administration accountable for the outrageous behavior of the Justice Department and the execution of an ATF operation called “Fast and Furious.” Already, U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke and the head of ATF, Kenneth Melson, have resigned and been reassigned, respectively, as a result, and when it’s all said and done, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder may end up resigning. And it was Gosar at the front of this investigation. Not bad for a freshman.

With Gosar having his strongest base in Yavapai County, it will be difficult for anyone to beat him in a primary.